Television Piracy Report

Introduction

CEG TEK International measured activity on the BitTorrent® peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing network in the week leading up to and after the 2014 Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles.

Method

Utilizing CEG TEK's proprietary detection software, designed with several unique abilities, including tracking without actively participating in peer-to-peer networks, download demand activity was measured in the days leading up to and after the 2014 Primetime Emmy Awards. The series monitored were based on a list of 50 contenders.

Result

Piracy rates surged over 340% within a day of the broadcast for winners Breaking Bad, True Detective, House of Cards, Homeland and The Newsroom.

Most notable was Breaking Bad, which prior to its winning streak ranked sixth among the most-pirated television show worldwide and fifteenth in the U.S. The rate of illegal peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing jumped 412% the day after the Emmys broadcast, crowning it as the second most-pirated show both worldwide and in the U.S.

True Detective, House of Cards, Homeland and The Newsroom all saw illicit activity increases in excess of 340% just one day after the Emmys broadcast. The largest increase in piracy domestically was for Scandal, which surged 1,630% (194% worldwide).

The exhibits below display the top 50 series, their daily rates of piracy domestically and abroad, and the change in rank before and after the Primetime Emmy Awards broadcast.

Exhibit 1 - P2P Piracy by Network

Network / Series

Daily Unique Peers (Users) Worldwide

Daily Unique
Peers (Users)
U.S.

A&E

Bonnie & Clyde

1,550

(=)

196

(-2)

ABC

Modern Family

46,908

(-1)

3,417

(+6)

Scandal

25,995

(+6)

1,592

(+23)

Dancing With the Stars

900

(-1)

227

(-3)

Jimmy Kimmel Live

17

(=)

4

(=)

AMC

Breaking Bad

141,334

(+4)

7,306

(+13)

Mad Men

26,411

(-1)

2,773

(=)

BBC

Luther

7,373

(-3)

531

(-3)

Dancing on the Edge

582

(=)

78

(=)

Burton and Taylor

581

(+2)

61

(+1)

Bravo

Top Chef

1,822

(-1)

404

(-5)

CBS

The Big Bang Theory

94,794

(+1)

5,096

(-1)

The Good Wife

20,058

(+2)

1,083

(-1)

The Amazing Race

5,422

(-3)

521

(-6)

Mike & Molly

3,785

(-1)

400

(-3)

Comedy Central

The Colbert Report

11,764

(-9)

1,882

(-8)

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

171

(-1)

26

(-2)

FOX

So You Think You Can Dance

12,567

(-7)

1,523

(-9)

FX

Fargo

44,846

(-4)

4,009

(-3)

Louie

16,821

(-2)

2,378

(-5)

American Horror Story: Coven

870

(-1)

189

(-1)

HBO

Game of Thrones

296,734

(=)

22,756

(=)

True Detective

71,130

(+3)

5,589

(+14)

The Normal Heart

22,775

(+6)

2,109

(+4)

Silicon Valley

19,428

(-8)

2,213

(-9)

Veep

16,041

(+11)

2,234

(+7)

Girls

13,643

(-9)

1,411

(-7)

The Newsroom

8,732

(+14)

1,030

(+10)

Real Time With Bill Maher

6,468

(-2)

1,921

(-8)

Treme

3,646

(=)

368

(-2)

IFC

The Spoils of Babylon

1,351

(=)

225

(=)

Lifetime

Project Runway

13,719

(-9)

2,240

(-8)

The Trip to Bountiful

993

(+5)

269

(-1)

Return to Zero

504

(+2)

56

(+1)

NBC

Parks and Recreation

19,746

(+4)

2,666

(+1)

Saturday Night Live

7,107

(-3)

1,224

(-7)

The Voice

4,505

(-3)

377

(-3)

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

491

(-3)

100

(=)

Netflix

Orange is the New Black

81,298

(-2)

5,398

(-2)

House of Cards

56,881

(+7)

2,765

(+13)

Derek

3,577

(-2)

280

(+1)

PBS

Downton Abbey

22,184

(+12)

1,742

(+14)

Sherlock: His Last Vow

521

(-3)

100

(-1)

SHO

Masters of Sex

56,347

(-4)

6,613

(-1)

Homeland

36,733

(+11)

2,629

(+16)

House of Lies

7,006

(-3)

1,006

(-8)

Shameless

6,906

(-3)

547

(-3)

Episodes

6,205

(-1)

489

(-1)

Nurse Jackie

4,584

(=)

898

(-8)

Starz

The White Queen

4,786

(=)

487

(-3)

Grand Total

1,258,612

103,438

Exhibit 2 - P2P Piracy by Series

Series / Network

Daily Unique Peers (Users) Worldwide

Daily Unique Peers (Users) U.S.

Game of Thrones - HBO

296,734

(=)

22,756

(=)

Breaking Bad - AMC

141,334

(+4)

7,306

(+13)

The Big Bang Theory - CBS

94,794

(+1)

5,096

(-1)

Orange is the New Black - Netflix

81,298

(-2)

5,398

(-2)

True Detective - HBO

71,130

(+3)

5,589

(+14)

House of Cards - Netflix

56,881

(+7)

2,765

(+13)

Masters of Sex - SHO

56,347

(-4)

6,613

(-1)

Modern Family - ABC

46,908

(-1)

3,417

(+6)

Fargo - FX

44,846

(-4)

4,009

(-3)

Homeland - SHO

36,733

(+11)

2,629

(+16)

Mad Men - AMC

26,411

(-1)

2,773

(=)

Scandal - ABC

25,995

(+6)

1,592

(+23)

The Normal Heart - HBO

22,775

(+6)

2,109

(+4)

Downton Abbey - PBS

22,184

(+12)

1,742

(+14)

The Good Wife - CBS

20,058

(+2)

1,083

(-1)

Parks and Recreation - NBC

19,746

(+4)

2,666

(+1)

Silicon Valley - HBO

19,428

(-8)

2,213

(-9)

Louie - FX

16,821

(-2)

2,378

(-5)

Veep - HBO

16,041

(+11)

2,234

(+7)

Project Runway - Lifetime

13,719

(-9)

2,240

(-8)

Girls - HBO

13,643

(-9)

1,411

(-7)

So You Think You Can Dance - FOX

12,567

(-7)

1,523

(-9)

The Colbert Report - Comedy Central

11,764

(-9)

1,882

(-8)

The Newsroom - HBO

8,732

(+14)

1,030

(+10)

Luther - BBC

7,373

(-3)

531

(-3)

Saturday Night Live - NBC

7,107

(-3)

1,224

(-7)

House of Lies - SHO

7,006

(-3)

1,006

(-8)

Shameless - SHO

6,906

(-3)

547

(-3)

Real Time With Bill Maher - HBO

6,468

(-2)

1,921

(-8)

Episodes - SHO

6,205

(-1)

489

(-1)

The Amazing Race - CBS

5,422

(-3)

521

(-6)

The White Queen - Starz

4,786

(=)

487

(-3)

Nurse Jackie - SHO

4,584

(=)

898

(-8)

The Voice - NBC

4,505

(-3)

377

(-3)

Mike & Molly - CBS

3,785

(-1)

400

(-3)

Treme - HBO

3,646

(=)

368

(-2)

Derek - Netflix

3,577

(-2)

280

(+1)

Top Chef - Bravo

1,822

(-1)

404

(-5)

Bonnie & Clyde - A&E

1,550

(=)

196

(-2)

The Spoils of Babylon - IFC

1,351

(=)

225

(=)

The Trip to Bountiful - Lifetime

993

(+5)

269

(-1)

Dancing With the Stars - ABC

900

(-1)

227

(-3)

American Horror Story: Coven - FX

870

(-1)

189

(-1)

Dancing on the Edge - BBC

582

(=)

78

(=)

Burton and Taylor - BBC

581

(+2)

61

(+1)

Sherlock: His Last Vow - PBS

521

(-3)

100

(-1)

Return to Zero - Lifetime

504

(+2)

56

(+1)

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon - NBC

491

(-3)

100

(=)

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart - Comedy Central

171

(-1)

26

(-2)

Jimmy Kimmel Live - ABC

17

(=)

4

(=)

Conclusion

The report provides a glimpse of the impact the Primetime Emmy Awards broadcast had on piracy of television series. Forty seven of the fifty series monitored experienced an increase in piracy after the awards.

"BitTorrent" is a registered trademark of BitTorrent, Inc. All trademarks and registered trademarks other than "CEG" and "CEG TEK" are the property of their respective owners and are not associated with Copyright Enforcement Group, Inc. d/b/a CEG TEK International.